Ex-wife of EgyptAir hijacker calls marriage to him 'darkest chapter' of her life, says heartless dad didn’t care when their child died: 'It was a marriage of hell'

The Cyprus ex-wife of the man who hijacked an Egyptian plane in a desperate bid to see her said he was an abusive husband who relentlessly tortured her for years — and he showed no emotion when one of their children died.

"The seven years I was married to him was the darkest chapter in both mine and my family's life," Marina Paraschou told Cyprus Weekly. "It was a marriage of hell with threats, beatings, torture and fear."

Marina Paraschou and Seif Eddin Mustafa were married in 1983. (Phileleftheros)

Seif Eddin Mustafa was arrested Tuesday after he commended an Alexandria-to-Cairo EgyptAir flight and diverted it to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. A day later, he told police he took over the jet to see his wife and kids because the Egyptian government "wouldn't let him."

But Paraschou said his romanticized statements "couldn't be further from the truth."

"Some people spoke of Mustafa hijacking the plane out of his love for Marina," she said. "If only that was the case. I can assure those people that he never cared about me or his children."

The Cyprus couple quickly wed — and the man's dark side soon came out, she said.

"He was a man who knew how to inflict fear and to create misery around him. He was unbalanced and a scary person," she said, adding that he routinely beat her. "The only thing he gave to us was pain, unhappiness and fear."

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They divorced in 1990 and Mustafa moved to Egypt, she said. They had an estranged relationship, and he remained heartless even from afar: When she called him to tell him one of their children was killed in an accident, the heartless father was unmoved, she claimed.

"I called him to break the news, and all he could say was 'What do I care?'" she said.

EgyptAir's flight MS181 was only in the air for about 15 minutes Tuesday when Mustafa demanded the aircraft be diverted to an airport in Greece, Turkey or Cyprus, officials said. He threatened to blow up the plane with an explosives vest — later found out to be an unreactive belt of fabric and wires — if the pilot refused.

Despite an initial refusal from Cypriot authorities, the plane eventually landed in Larnaca after the pilots warned of low fuel.

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The ex-wife of Seif Eddin Mustafa, who was arrested after he hijacked an EgyptAir flight, said he was an abusive husband and absentee father. (KATIA CHRISTODOULOU/EPA)

Most of the 72 passengers and crew aboard the Airbus A320 were released soon after the plane landed, although a handful were held for longer. During a tense, hours-long standoff, Mustafa demanded officials deliver a letter to his Cypriot ex-wife, asked for political asylum and ordered the release of 63 dissident women imprisoned in Egypt.

He surrendered before any of his demands were met. None of the passengers — even the last hostages held until the moment he gave up — were harmed.

The 59-year-old confessed to police and claimed he took over the plane as a way to get to his ex and their kids, officials said.

"What's someone supposed to do when he hasn't seen his wife and children in 24 years and the Egyptian government won't let him?" he asked cops, according to Cyprus police prosecutor Andreas Lambrianou.

On Wednesday, a Cyprus judge ordered him detained for eight days — the maximum under Cypriot law — amid fears he might flee.

Mustafa (c.) is transferred by Cypriot police as they leave a court in Larnaca Wednesday. (KATIA CHRISTODOULOU/EPA)

Egypt's General Prosecutor Nabil Sadek, meanwhile, has officially asked Cyprus to extradite Mustafa in order to start an investigation, Sabek's office said.

His ex-wife would welcome the extradition: She wants him as far awy from her and her family as possible, she said.

"Even now that he is locked up in prison here, I am still scared both for myself and my family," she said.